Lucky Seven
by Snape4eva
Summary: If seven is a lucky number then something must be wrong with James and Lily, for it seems their seventh year is anything but lucky. Between feuding friends, a new american girl, and the threat of Lord Voldemort will this destined couple ever be together?


_All of these characters (and this world) belong to J.K. Rowling, except for a couple of things I made up. Otherwise it's all her's. _

_So long James Potter._

James Potter woke up suddenly from his dream to the sound of screaming. He looked around his bedroom hastily and soon realized the screaming had all been in his head. He must have been woken up by the water he felt drenched in. Soon it became apparent that that was merely his sweat.

He jumped as he heard a loud snore on his left. Laughing he recognized it as his sleeping friend Sirius Black. Sirius snored loudly again and rolled over onto his stomach. James smiled as he tossed off his covers and got out of bed.

The sun was very low in the sky casting an eerie dim light upon his front lawn. The sky was a pale blue and the clouds were merely wisps of white today. James headed toward the bathroom telling himself repeatedly that it had all been just a dream. But what a terrible dream it had been. James usually wasn't the best at remembering dreams but this one stuck vividly to his memory.

In the beginning it hadn't been that bad. In fact the start of it had been excellent! He had been on a date out in Hogsmeade with a fellow Gryffindor Lily Evans. They had had a brilliant time. At Honeydukes they had bought armfuls of sweets which they devoured shortly after. Lily had held his hand as they passed by the Shrieking Shack, and even laughed at every one of his cocky jokes. It was when they went to the Three Broomsticks that everything had gone wrong.

They had been chatting over their bottles of butterbeer when James had leaned in to kiss her, something he had been longing to do since third year. At that moment Lord Voldemort had appeared. With a flash of green light he had killed Lily cackling over her dead body. "Filthy Mudblood," He had said. James had done everything he could think of to avenge her but ended up being cornered by Voldemort. "So long James Potter," he said before shouting _Avada Kedavra_. That was when James had woken up.

He turned the hot water on and let it run over his shaking hands. Carelessly he made a cup with his hands and splashed his face. He immediately regretted it as the steaming water stung his eyes. Wandering blindly in search of a towel his legs hit something hard and he toppled forward into the bathtub. Swearing, he opened his eyes for a second so he could grab the towel draped over the side of the tub. His face dry and his eyes no longer stinging him, he clumsily climbed out of the tub and left the bathroom.

Downstairs he found the latest edition of the Daily Prophet waiting for him on the kitchen table. Sighing he flapped it open and headed to the living room so he could recline on the couch while he read today's tragic news.

**MASS MUGGLE KILLING IN GREAT HANGLETON:**

**15 KILLED BY DEATH EATERS**

James read the article in disgust. How could anyone do something as horrible as this?

The answer was simple. Lord Voldemort would. It had been two years since the threat of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters had arrived and the news was getting worse by the day. Hundreds of lives had been lost, those of Muggles and Wizards alike. It seemed no one was safe from the wrath of Lord Voldemort, unless he had already killed you.

The worst part of this wizarding war for James was his loss. Both his parents had been Aurors. He should have expected it, but that didn't make the shock any less when he had been pulled out of Transfiguration class to be informed that his parents had been killed. It had taken so long for the shock, anger, and pain that had come from this news to go away. He knew for sure he never would have gotten through it if not for the support he had received from his fellow Marauders.

The Marauders were the infamous group of tricksters at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were composed of four friends. Remus Lupin, Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter, otherwise known as Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. Together they ruled the school with their stunning looks, impressive grades, tricks and pranks, and their pure charm. It was Sirius, Remus, and Peter who had comforted James during his time of mourning.

Now it was Sirius, Remus, and Peter who he had invited to stay at his now empty house over the summer. All had accepted in a flash. It was nearing the end of July now and soon they'd be on their way back to Hogwarts for their seventh and final year.

"So who's died today?"

Remus Lupin joined him on the couch staring at the back of the Prophet through weary eyes. His wispy brown hair was very messy at the moment but the rest of him was like he had always been. The same scratched up face, the same half smile, the same casual but alert form.

"A bunch of Muggles," James sighed, tossing his friend the Daily Prophet so he could see it for himself. "No one we know thankfully,"

Remus scanned the front page expertly. Out of all four Marauders he was the one who studied hardest and probably the only one who actually paid attention in class. That was probably the reasoning behind the prefect badge he had worn since the fifth year.

"Same old stuff," He concluded.

"So you mean my mum hasn't died?"

Sirius Black headed into the living room peering over Remus's shoulder at the front page.

"Darn it! Well, they'll always be tomorrow!" He said brightly plopping himself down on top of James.

"Aaaargh! Padfoot get off!" James shouted shoving Sirius to the ground. Sirius looked appalled for a moment and then composed his features. He proceeded to flatten out his sleek black hair.

Sirius was, as they liked to call him, the pretty Marauder. He had accepted the title enthusiastically. In truth he actually was quite handsome, with his long black hair and light gray eyes. Girls definitely seemed to like him for they had started a club all about him. Sirius didn't waste his time being modest and enjoyed standing in the light as the Hogwarts Heartthrob.

"What's he done now?" Peter Pettigrew asked as he clambered downstairs.

Peter had a different build than the rest of the Marauders. Instead of being tall and lanky like the other three he was short and stubby. He had small watery eyes and a pale complexion. He wasn't nearly as outgoing as the others but he prided himself on just being their friends.

"Sat on James," Remus answered casually, now reading an article about an Inferi attack.

"Oh, all right then," said Peter as he took a seat on an armchair.

"Prongs I must say this floor is more comfortable than I imagined," Sirius commented now laying spread eagle on the hard wooden floor. "Now onto business," He declared jumping to his feet in one swift movement. "When's breakfast?"

At that moment four owls swooped into the room, a parchment envelope with green ink attached to each of them. They circled around the room once before landing in front of the person whose name was printed on the envelope.

"Excellent! Hogwarts letters!" Remus eagerly tugged his off the brown barn owl carrying it and ripped it open.

"Remus is waiting for his Head Boy badge," Peter sniggered, taking his letter with less enthusiasm.

"Well did you get it?" James asked, thinking of how cool it would be to have a Marauder as Head Boy.

"No," Remus said, but he was still smiling. "Gryffindor Prefect again!"

"Good work mate," Sirius said as he read through his letter carelessly. "Same old rubbish. How about you James? Gryffindor Quidditch captain again?"

James shook his head, staring at his letter in shock.

"No!" Peter exclaimed. "But you're best on the team!"

James wasn't listening to his friends around him. This had been the last thing he had expected in his letter. He had expected a Quidditch captain badge to roll out when he ripped it open. But nothing of the sort had happened. Something different had fallen out.

"Mates, I've been made Head Boy!"


End file.
